This past year was turbulent. It felt like we were juggling flaming swords blindfolded. Between remote work and trying to cook something that isn’t toast, it was hard not to play catch-up every day.
Even in the mess, though, some small changes helped make life smoother. Far from perfect, for sure, but definitely smoother, which is a small win for our books.
These are the five things that we started doing and it genuinely made our days less chaotic and a bit more enjoyable.
1. Meal Prepping That Actually Happens
Honestly, we used to laugh at the idea of prepping meals. Who has the time for that when you’re already behind on laundry and other house chores? Turns out, though, that a little bit of Sunday planning makes the rest of the week feel a lot less overwhelming.
We’re not trying to batch-cook 20 meals for an army. Nothing fancy like that. Sometimes – it’s just chopping vegetables, marinating chickens so they’re ready to go, or portioning out snacks. Having even some part of a meal ready makes it easier to create the whole thing once you’re hungry.
What helped most is some decent kitchen gear. Once we got ourselves a proper cutting board, some containers that didn’t leak, and a few tools that actually made prep faster, it became way less of a chore. We found some practical suggestions on this site that didn’t push expensive nonsense, but rather useful things that made sense for a normal busy kitchen.
2. The “Sunday Reset” Rule
We like to take 30 minutes to reset the house – every Sunday evening. It doesn’t involve deep cleaning or something dramatic like that. But for example, clearing out backpacks, checking the calendar for upcoming important meetings and events, preparing a few school outfits, and maybe wiping down the counters.
The idea behind this, as my hubby suggested, is to make Monday morning suck less. And it really helps. Now, even the kids know to check their shoes and homework folders, as well as the random permission slips. No more digging through laundry baskets at 7 AM, at least not as often.
3. Screen-Free(ish) Mornings
We’re not an anti-screen family. But we noticed mornings felt more stressful when everyone was zoned out on tablets or phones. So we started leaving the screens off until everyone’s dressed, and ready for the day.
We found that breakfast turned into actual conversations, or at least fewer arguments. The kids get out the door faster, and we don’t feel like we’ve already lost the day by 9AM.
4. Shared Calendars Save Marriages
Living in a total scheduling chaos and just winging everything gets old fast. Whether it’s double-booked dentist appointments or even forgotten birthdays – which sucks to admit – it was just too much honestly.
Now? We use a shared digital calendar, with color codes for everyone! Simple. Effective. One glance, and you know who needs to where, and when. Also, we added reminders for small things like refilling prescriptions, or packing gym shoes.
This way there’s less arguing, and there’s more of just showing up on time. It’s not romantic, it’s practical, and it works well. Who would’ve thought we’d become the calendar family?! Not us!
5. Saying “No” to More Things
Here’s something that took us a while to learn: not everything needs a “yes.”
There’s always another school fundraiser, another kid’s birthday party, another invite to something that sounds nice but ends up being stressful. Now, we pause before committing and ask ourselves – does this really help, or just make life busier?
The truth is, you don’t need to attend every single thing, and peace of mind and relaxation time at home actually helps a lot more than you’d think.
We started picking fewer things, and doing them better. It’s made a noticeable difference in how we feel during the week. There is less rushing and more space for actual rest.
In Summary…
Life’s still messy. There are days we forget to take the chicken out of the freezer and end up with peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. But these five little changes made our family rhythm feel less frantic – and a bit more ours.
If you’re stuck in survival mode, maybe don’t overhaul everything at once. Start with one small win. That’s all it takes to feel like you’re heading in a better direction.